Progress

I'm making tiny bits of progress.

I'm down 17 lbs in my 50lb loss goal.

I took my dogs to an awesome trainer and I've been working with them a little each day.

I failed at the Sketchbook Challenge. I may still finish it, but it won't be for the event.

I also did not enter 3 art contests in 2011.

I also made progress on the children's book illustrations. Pictures of that to come.

My plant is still alive and kicking.

If I remember, May 1st I will start learning 1 new word a day for a month. I may make it French words since one of my goals is to learn basic French. Or is that cheating? I'll have to think about that one.

Dog Diptych: Check

Things I've done, but didn't take pictures of.

Sorry. I forgot to post about these and I have no real proof.

Joe and I took my niece to see a Body Worlds exhibit. It was okay. I expected more.

I had a board game night with my brothers and my niece. I wasn't thinking about the challenge at the time so I didn't take any photos. Realized I should take more photos when hanging out with people.

I have a few other ones that I have finished and I can still take photos of. :) I will try to get going on that.

Confession

I must say, I have fallen behind. I haven't even looked at my list in a couple of months. Although, I have since decided that some of the things on here are no longer applicable (I did warn of this happening.) I did actually finish a couple of challenges though so stay tuned. I forgot they were on the list until I just read it over. :)

Here are some changes:

Be thisclose to finishing my Master's in Art Therapy: This one is gone. I don't think I want to get a Master's in this any more and if I do it won't be for awhile because I'm going to move into an RV and travel around the country first.

Grow some tomatoes. Maybe raise some chickens. Oh and grow 2 Avocado trees: This one is gone too. At least in this time frame. Maybe I will grow some tomatoes next year, but since my Grandma does, there's really no point.

Learn to Tango Gone. I have to save up money and while I still want to learn, it won't be any time soon. See the RV explanation.

Play on a dart league...with people I know and like. Meh. I would like to do this in the future, but I think it will be much later. No one I know is on a dart league and you have to pay to play.

Play on a soccer league See above. If I do anything over the next year that costs money it will be learning ninjutsu, like I've already started, and/or training my dogs.

Go on a vacation (by myself or with others) that I have planned. Would this count if it's in an RV and my life becomes a "vacation?"

Be a signature member of the IWS. I think this one is gone for good. I made it into the show again this year and would have been one entry into achieving this goal, however, you only get points toward the signature membership if you are a paying member. So basically I have no points. If I would have known that when I first made it in, I probably would have been paying towards it. I would still enter the contests, but it seems like the only people who win prizes are people who are also paying members. Not to mention the same guy wins year after year. Considering there is a fee to enter the contest, one would think one would get points toward signature membership without having to be a paying member. I'm just saying. I don't need their signature that badly. I'm not bitter though.

learn the piano or cello When I wrote this list I had access to a piano. I no longer do and I have no room or money for either cello or piano now. Maybe in the future.

See Wicked I don't know if this is still around or not. When I wrote the list it was back for a show. I'm going to leave it up for now, but it will probably go later.

Enter 3 new art contests in 2011 As with the IWS I just don't want to pay to enter contests. Yes, there are free ones, but I would still have to pay to ship my work and all that jazz. I may change this one and bring it back next year, but I doubt it. I just don't see the point right now.

Go on a spontaneous road trip Same thing as with the vacation. I mean, my life will be a spontaneous road trip. I guess that still counts. I'll leave it up and decide later.

Organize my music "collection" and figure out how to add beats per minute so I can use the DJ option on my mp3 player My Zen died. It was a very sad day. I loved that thing. My phone does not have a dj option and it's the only thing I use now for an mp3 player. I will still organize my music files though and clean it all up. I found a program. It's about $50. That's how much I was going to pay my niece to do it so maybe next month I will buy it. It gets rid of duplicate songs and any bad songs.

Invest in the stock market Have you seen this economy? Although now would be a good time to invest in it because it's tanked, but I think I will wait a while. I just don't think the American dollar can hold out much longer.

101 Things I've Already Experienced/Achieved In This Lifetime:

1. Bachelor's Degree
2. Moved to Chicago
3. Went to Thailand
4. Went to Santa Fe
5. Flew on a plane
6. Went to Second City
7. Learned to ride a horse
8. Been loved
9. Loved someone
10. Had a blog for 8 years and counting
11. Lost 50 lbs
12. Took tango lessons
13. Took hip-hop dance lessons
14. Have my own art website/blog/facebook fan page/twitter account
15. Sold a painting to a complete stranger
16. Been in a juried art show
17. Been in an art fair
18. Had a solo art show
19. Had an article written about my work
20. Volunteered teaching art to "at risk" kids
21. Taught a drawing class that I was paid for
22. Taught myself to knit
23. Took a sewing class
24. Ran a 5k
25. Learned Yoga and Pilates
26. Worked on my mental/emotional health more than most people will do in an entire lifetime before I was out of my twenties.
27. Sang Karaoke (two different occasions, although once I was WASTED)
28. Stood up to my Superintendent when I was in h.s. and my soccer coach when they were being bullies. Oh and that one crazy boss. She was CRAZY.
29. Owned a house.
30. Been a landlord
31. Went camping for 9 days straight
32. Kayaked on the Chicago River
33. Lived on my own since I was 16 and moved at least 16 times since then. That's more than once a year on average.
34. Learned to drive a stick
35. Told someone I still loved them even though I knew they didn't return the sentiment.
36. Was on a float in Chicago's Gay Pride Parade
37. Went on a Cruise to Jamaica.
38. Got a tattoo
39. Learned to play the clarinet. I guess I learned to play the piano too since I could play When the Saints Go Marching In.
40. Biked around Chicago to and from work/school
41. Lived in 6 different Chicago Neighborhoods
42. Took the initiative to meet my Dad's childhood best friend
43. Took my mental health into my own hands when I was 17 and again at 28.
44. Learned how to remove/replace a laptop hard drive
45. Taught myself html, although I have since forgotten. Kind of like the clarinet and piano.
46. Learned soccer
47. Went to see 3 different professional baseball team games and 2 soccer teams
48. Saw Dave Matthews and Ozzy Osbourne in concert. I didn't pick either concert, but it was fun to go.
49. Went to Ravinia
50. Saw the New Year's Eve fireworks at Navy Pier from the Ferris Wheel
51. Went to art museums in 5 different states (originally I had forgotten about the Georgia O'Keefe Museum and a museum in Savannah.)
52. I was a missed connection on Craig's List
53. I went on 5 road trips since I was old enough to do some of the driving
54. I've had baked potato ice cream
55. I went to a rib fest with a white shirt on and did not get 1 drop of bbq sauce on the shirt
56. I have knit 2 pairs of the most awesome mittens ever
57. I rode on a Harley
58. I owned a horse
59. I swam with a dolphin (and accidentally kicked the trainer in his bits. It's all on camera)
60. I climbed a waterfall
61. I met someone in a foreign country and hung out with them for almost an entire week
62. Learned a line dance and went to the bar to do said dance over and over again with my childhood best friend until it drove the bartender nuts. We were like 12 or something. It was a Brooks and Dunn song.
63. Went to a real play at the Goodwin Theater in Chicago
64. Sat on top of a mesa
65. Saw the painted desert
66. Overcame my fear of roller coasters
67. Went to a botanical garden
68. Had a lesson in oil painting from THE Katie Bernhard
69. Had a dinner party that was a success! Even after Tux tipped over the table like in a cartoon
70. Had an adult sleep over (not the dirty kind, just the kind with friends, although the dirty kind as well if you must know)
71. Picked out a casket/planned a funeral. Not something fun, but something to remind myself how strong I am
72. Backed up my computer with Carbonite.com after about a year of "meaning to"
73. Registered as a business!
74. Stood on the Continental Divide
75. Graffitied a bridge with Rishell. Got caught by her dad, had to paint over it.
76. Snuck out of the house to make out with a boy
77. Snuck a boy into the house to make out with him
78. Skinny dipped (I grew up in the country)
79. Played hide and go seek using the whole town to hide. It's amazing what you can do when there are only 60 something people living in a place
80. Learned how to make an accordion sketchbook and filled it up!
81. Was bucked off a horse, got back on (although not right back on. I couldn't move for awhile. I got back on another horse.)
82. Saw Cirque de Sole
83. Saw Paul McCartney in concert
84. While on aforementioned cruise I got up on stage to play a game. I was out pretty quick.
85. Stayed calm in a situation where a man most likely had a gun/violent intentions toward others
86. Held a monkey
87. Rode an elephant on 3 separate occasions (and counting fools.) If I ever win the lottery I will own an elephant and ride it everywhere. That is why God won't let me win the lottery.
88. Rode on the back of a motorcycle taxi in Bangkok (and loved it! Tuk Tuks on the other hand...not so much.)
89. Swam in the ocean (Actually 2 oceans and 1 sea.)
90. Went on a haunted tour of Savannah
91. Made a youtube video and posted it. (Not that it's interesting, just that it's done.)
92. Did a 10 mile hike with one of Joe's very heavy first aid packs on my back. Although I did 2 miles up hill with the camping stuff on my back. Joe didn't think I was going to be able to do it.
93. Played in an open fire hydrant with my dog
94. Touched a sting ray
95. Drove almost the entire length of route 66 with out realizing it
96. Ate a kitchen sink at Colonial Cafe
97. Saw Avatar in 3D IMAX 2x's.
98. Had a sunburn so bad that I had to get silvadene. That was painful.
99. Had a perfect day at a forest preserve in the middle of winter
100. Been to 17 states.
101. Been to the top of the Arch, the Sears Tower, and the John Hancock building.

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind:

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? 23
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying? Never Trying
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do? Fear, crabs in a bucket, habit.
4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done? I truly hope not. I try to do more than say, but sometimes the answer to #3 gets in my way.
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world? No more drug cartels/Congo type conflicts.
6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich? Being an artist (at least a productive one :D) or being a travel writer.
7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing? half and half.
8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently? I would drop everything and just back pack around the world right now. I would also forget about having kids since they would be 11 when I died. Although I might adopt some teenagers.
9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken? I feel that out of the things I could control 60 percent. I could do better.
10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? Doing the right things.
11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do? I would probably listen for awhile, wondering why they feel that way. I would probably ask why they feel that way. I would try to help them understand where my friend was coming from and let them know that she's actually pretty cool.
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be? Not that they would actually understand or take said advice, but it would probably be, "do what you what makes you happy as long as it doesn't drag other people down."
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one? lol yes.
14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity? Hmmm, I think the closest I would have come to this is not liking Picaso until I saw his work in person. The same with Andrew Wyeth.
15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people? Think.
16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy? This is stupid. It's because we all have different tastes.
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back? Only one thing? Be a nomad. My dogs hold me back. It would be tough to take them. Also my obligations to other people at the moment. Also, I would be lonely and afraid that everyone would forget about me/not care that I was gone.
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of? Probably. Fear. The past.
19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why? New Mexico. It's warm there all year and no humidity.
20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster? Sometimes. No. It's just something to do while I wait.
21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton? I think I'm already the first. :D As long as I didn't have dreams of grandeur I would rather be the simpleton. Actually I am probably a worried simpleton which would be the worst of both. lol
22. Why are you, you? I am me because of my parents/lack of parents. I am me because of what is in my heart.
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend? Sometimes, sometimes not. I try to be a better friend than what I expect in return, but it's not always the case.
24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you? When a friend moves away. You can always pick back up with the friend that lives near you and it's usually so slow that you don't notice.
25. What are you most grateful for? Being American, even if America does not have the best image any more. At least I have an option to fix 99% of my problems here. It's just about picking which ones first.
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones? WTF, that is an awful question. So if I make new ones do they disappear when they become old? I would say lose all my old memories. If I didn't have memories then I would be able to start fresh with somethings.
27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first? Yes. How can you challenge something you don't know is there? Unless you mean, like religion where no one knows the real answer. Actually, wth do you mean by truth and challenging it? I guess it would be pointless to challenge something that's true, except emotionally.
28. Has your greatest fear ever come true? Yes, unless you mean tornadoes and jelly fish and falling elevators. Then no.
29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Actually I do, smart ass. Does it really matter now? No, but it didn't really matter then and yes, it still makes me upset.
30. What is your happiest childhood memory? Probably playing catch with my grandma. What makes it so special? She does her nails every week and she's a grandma, but she still got out there and played with me.
31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive? I don't know, but it most likely had to do with friends or art.
32. If not now, then when? Never
33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose? What do you ever have to lose? I would say money.
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever? No. However, I have said very little and felt that way.
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars? Because people use the holy books to justify their own greed and immoral behavior, that is until someone does it to them. Then they use the books to try and show people how horrible they are for doing those things.
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil? Yes. But it's a personal decision.
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job? Nope. I would just travel more and help some people.
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing? More work I actually enjoy doing.
39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before? OMG yes. Now get out of my head.
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in? It feels like everyday and not for a long time all in one.
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today? What a downer this list is. My Grandparents. My niece and brothers. Joe's mom. A couple of friends. My Uncle. Can I just throw them all a going away party?
42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous? Nope. I may not like being over-weight but I like the way that I look and I would probably only like being famous every other day.
43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living? Enjoying life vs. just getting by.
44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right? As soon as you know it's right.
45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake? Because they hurt. Also because some shit you just can't take back. Oh and people laugh.
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? I would wear awesome trendy clothes and my hair would be a rainbow of colors. I pretty much do everything else with out caring about people judging me. Oh except dance and sing in public. I would do those too.
47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing? When I did yoga the other day.
48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love? Love is for pussies. lol jk. My dogs. I guess. They seem happy. Joe. Probably not. Art. I try to do/look at something art related every day. I could work on all that.
49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that? No because I haven't done anything. Plus it would be really flipping weird if I remembered every damn day of my life.
50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you? A little of both.

This article courtesy of: http://www.marcandangel.com

Number 3

Today was the last day of no facebook for a week.

It's been tough because that's where I find out everything that's going on with my friends. It's been nice because I realize it can be a bit stressful.

I can't say I've cleared up a lot of free time as I spent the week entertaining my niece and playing The Sims 3. It's a little cheating because I wouldn't have been on much any way during that time, but I would have still checked a few times a day.

I've decided to limit my facebook time to one day a week, Monday. Because my last day is a Tuesday, that means I am going to go almost another whole week with out it. This is going to be a bit harder, but that's okay. Like everyone else I have a lot of other stuff I could be doing.